Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe essays in this extraordinary volume will remind scholar and layperson how much the Bible Christians use today is the product of the Middle Ages. Not only did the uses of sacred scripture shape its very format and organization, but the liturgy, habits of monastic reading, preaching techniques, dramatization, and even politics molded its contents, the layout of its pages, and its translation as well. With scientific rigor and imagination, The Practice of the Bible in the Middle Ages demonstrates the ways in which even God's word had a human history. -- Herbert L. Kessler, Johns Hopkins University, author of Judaism and Christian Art The Practice of the Bible in the Middle Ages is informed by a variety of textual, ritual, and art historical methods, in addition to more traditional exegetical questions. The central tenet of the work, and the fruit of that integration, is that the Bible was never simply or even primarily a text in the Middle Ages. Rather, it was a plastic and multiform body of texts that were meant to be thoroughly incorporated into one's prayer, worship, and daily life, and a variety of means were available to aid that process. -- Louis I. Hamilton, Drew University The Practice of the Bible in the Middle Ages is one of those reference books that you must have in your Medieval library. -- Rebecca Graf Bella Online Recommended. Choice stimulating Journal of Theological Studies Its straightforward style makes it uniquely suitable for teaching. It would form an excellent textbook and should seriously be considered by anyone contemplating teaching an undergraduate course on the Bible in the Middle Ages. Medieval Review ...a valuable and accessible starting-point for the study of the medieval Bible and of its reception. -- Emily Corran Journal of Ecclesiastical History The book offers a useful survey for undergraduates, graduate students, and lecturers looking for a way into a dense but critically important topic. -- Owen M. Phelan Religious Studies Review The articles provide a clear and contextualised introduction to the topics they cover -- L. Donkin English Historical Review
Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1. Orientation for the Reader Susan Boynton and Diane J. Reilly 2. The Bible and the Liturgy Susan Boynton 3. Bibles, Biblical Books, and the Monastic Liturgy in the Early Middle Ages Richard Gyug 4. When Monks Were the Book: The Bible and Monasticism (6th-11th Centuries) Isabelle Cochelin 5. The Bible and the Meaning of History Jennifer A. Harris 6. Lectern Bibles and Liturgical Reform in the Central Middle Ages Diane J. Reilly 7. The Italian Giant Bibles Lila Yawn 8. Biblical Exegesis Through the Twelfth Century Frans van Liere 9. Mendicant School Exegesis Bert Roest 10. "A Ladder Set Up on Earth": The Bible in Medieval Sermons Eyal Poleg 11. The Bible and the Individual: The Thirteenth-Century Paris Bible Laura Light 12. The Illustrated Psalter: Luxury and Practical Use Stella Panayotova 13. The Bible in English in the Middle Ages Richard Marsden 14. The Old French Bible: The First Complete Vernacular Bible in Western Europe Clive R. Sneddon 15. Castilian Vernacular Bibles in Iberia, c. 1250-1500 Emily C. Francomano Glossary Contributors Index
